Brush head baseball coach Kevin Fergus said he team will go from the hunted to the hunter this season.

"With how strong our conference is, I think there are six teams that will be in position for the title," Fergus said.

The coach is confident his team will challenge the other strong teams in the Patriot League, but the focus in the preseason has been to compete and bring a high work ethic every day to the practice field.

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So far, his team has shown their willingness to get plenty of work done in practices.

"I like our role. I think that gives them an attitude to work hard," Fergus said. "We can't take anything for granted. There are so many good teams in the league and we've got a tough schedule. They are embracing that and realize they have to work hard and never give up in games."

Fergus and his team will be tested right away with three-straight games on the road, including a matchup with the defending state champion Valley Vikings in the season opener on Tuesday. The week continues with games at Kent Denver on Thursday and at Weld Central on Friday. When the team returns home next week, they will face a pair of teams ranked in the preseason polls with the Sterling Tigers (No. 10) and the Eaton Reds (No. 1).

"We jump right in to a tough schedule," Fergus said. "We'll see what we can accomplish. We'll get some questions answered about what these kids have in them."

Brush is coming off an 11-10 campaign in 2017 that saw them win their first game in the regional tournament over St. Mary's before losing to the Peak to Peak Pumas for the right to move on to the state tournament.

Back for the Beetdiggers are five pitchers that saw time on the mound last spring. Leading the way will be Ryan Dunker, who threw 27 1/3 innings and had a 4.10 ERA. Other pitchers back include Gunnar Guzman, Bryson Wooldridge, Justin Griffith and Nick Wellen.

This summer, Fergus used the Legion baseball season as a chance to develop some younger arms and other players that may step in to a varsity spot in the rotation or in the starting lineup.

"Those young guys stepped up and said they could play and perform and compete," Fergus said. "There's a maturity in that. I think as season starts, we will have that continue from day one all the way through. Their hard work should pay off."

The Beetdiggers hope to improve in the field on defense as a team to take a step forward. In 2017, Brush had a .907 fielding percentage and committed 50 errors. Against some top offensive players in the state, giving teams extra outs to work with is something the team says they must not allow.

"We have to be tough on defense," Fergus said. "We can't give up on that."

This year's team may also show a similar approach to how they manufacture runs on offense. The team only hit five home runs last season and had 26 extra-base hits as a whole. Roughly 71 percent of the extra-base hits from last season came from players back this year, but the team only returns Guzman with a home run.

Instead of relying on power, Fergus says he plans to use his team speed to try and put pressure on opposing pitcher's and defenses when given the chance.

"They are athletic and have good team speed. That will be one of the things that will be a strength for us," Fergus said. "I think we'll cease what opportunities we have to score, whether it's with small ball or moving runners around to score."

Brush did steal 57 bases last season and return two players with nine stolen bases in Griffith and Caleb Cox.

With an identity set, the Beetdiggers will try to out-work their competition and make some noise in a tough Patriot League schedule. Their tough schedule is something they hope will help put them in a better position when the postseason begins in May.

"You can't overlook anybody, but I would say out of 19 games we play, 16 are going to be tough games for us," Fergus said. "We've got a top-10 schedule. I think having the schedule is a good thing. The coaches and I have presented that to realize we need to work out, hustle, compete, and never give up. If we do those things, good things will happen."

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